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An 8×12 shed material list for a gable shed on skids is 91 2x4s (83 for framing, 8 for braces), 12 treated 2x6s, 3 treated 4×4 skids, 3 sheets of 3/4 in plywood, 6 of OSB, 13 of T1-11 and 6 shingle bundles. It assumes 94 1/2 in walls, a 6/12 roof and 16 in spacing.

Every quantity and cut length on this page comes from the 3DSHEDPLANS plan generator, and this 8×12 build passed all 55 checks of our framing audit. The list covers one 60 in double door and one 36 x 36 in window.

What this 8×12 shed material list assumes

The generator ran a shed 8 ft deep and 12 ft wide, with 96 sq ft of floor and the ridge running the 12 ft way. These are its settings:

  • Walls: 94 1/2 in tall including the bottom plate and double top plate, so wall studs are cut to 90 in (7′ 6″).
  • Spacing: studs, floor joists and rafters all at 16 in on center.
  • Roof: 6/12 pitch, 2×4 rafters, a 2×6 ridge board, 8 in eave overhang and 4 in rake overhang. The roof works out to about 130 sq ft.
  • Floor: three pressure-treated 4×4 skids 12 ft long, about 46 in apart, on a crushed stone pad, with 2×6 joists cut to 7′ 9″ at 16 in on center and 3/4 in tongue and groove plywood.
  • Loads: the 2×4 rafters pass a span table check at 30 psf ground snow (SPF #2 at 16 in, 48 in run). That is the generator’s design assumption; if your area’s snow load may be higher, check your local permit office before you buy rafter stock.
  • Openings: a 60 in wide double door on 76 1/2 in trimmers in the 12 ft front wall and a 36 x 36 in window in the 12 ft back wall. The 8 ft side walls have no openings.

Our 8×12 gable shed plan uses the same footprint with a 60 in double door and one window. The plan PDF has its own printable list, and its counts can differ a little from this generator run, so shop for the plan from the plan’s own list.

Shopping list by stage

Lumber sizes are nominal. A 2×4 measures about 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 in, as the American Wood Council explains. Check the grade stamp on plywood and OSB; the APA trademark guide shows how to read it.

Totals at a glance

Material Total
2×4 boards, all lengths (framing and braces) 91
Pressure-treated 2×6 (10 joists, 2 rims) 12
Pressure-treated 4×4 x 12 ft skids 3
2×6 (ridge and window header) 2
2×8 (door header) 1
3/4 in T&G plywood sheets (floor) 3
7/16 in OSB sheets (roof) 6
5/8 in T1-11 sheets (walls, gables, door leaves) 13
1/2 in plywood sheets (soffit, header fillers) 1
3-tab shingle bundles 6

Floor

Item Qty Used for
Pressure-treated 4×4 x 12 ft, tagged for ground contact 3 Skids
Pressure-treated 2×6 x 8 ft 10 Floor joists
Pressure-treated 2×6 x 12 ft 2 Rim joists
3/4 in T&G plywood, 4×8 sheet 3 Floor decking
Crushed stone 3/4 in, loose 2.1 cu yd Gravel pad, measured loose before tamping
Deck screws 2 in (or 6d ring-shank nails), rated for treated lumber 3 lb Decking

Walls and roof framing

Item Qty Used for
2×4 x 8 ft 54 Wall studs, side wall plates and cap plates, cripples, window sill, gable studs, lookout and frieze blocks
2×4 x 10 ft 8 Rafter ties
2×4 x 12 ft 18 Rafters, fly rafters, front and back wall plates and cap plates
2×4 x 14 ft 3 Door and window trimmers, collar ties
2×6 x 8 ft 1 Window header
2×8 x 12 ft 1 Door header
2×6 x 14 ft 1 Ridge board (one piece)
Hurricane ties, H2.5A type or equal 20 Rafter to plate
Temporary braces 2×4 x 12 ft 8 Wall bracing, reused later

The two header filler strips of 1/2 in plywood are ripped from the soffit sheet, so buy that sheet with the wall lumber. Add the 8 temporary braces to the 83 framing boards and the truck carries 91 2x4s in all.

Roof covering

Item Qty Used for
7/16 in OSB, 4×8 sheet 6 Roof sheathing
15 lb felt, 400 sq ft roll 1 Underlayment
3-tab shingles, 26 per bundle 6 bundles Roof, starter course and ridge cap
Drip edge, 10 ft 6 Eaves and rakes
Roofing nails 1 1/4 in galvanized 5 lb Shingles
Roofing cap nails 1 in 1 lb Felt
Roofing cement, 10 oz tube 2 Roofing
Insect screen, 2 ft x 25 ft 1 roll Vent holes and gaps at the eaves

Siding and trim

Item Qty Used for
5/8 in T1-11, 4×8 sheet 10 Walls (320 sq ft, before the door and window cut-outs)
5/8 in T1-11, 4×8 sheet 1 Both gable triangles
5/8 in T1-11, 4×8 sheet 2 Door leaves (one per leaf)
1/2 in plywood, 4×8 sheet 1 Eave soffit and header fillers
Z-flashing, 10 ft 2 Wall siding to gable siding joint
Drip cap, 10 ft 1 Over the door and window head casings
1×6 x 14 ft 2 Eave fascia
1×6 x 12 ft 2 Rake fascia
1×4 x 16 ft 2 Corner trim on the eave walls
1×4 x 14 ft 4 Door casing sides, door stiles, Z braces
1×4 x 12 ft 1 Door rails
1×4 x 8 ft 7 Gable-wall corner trim, door head casing, window casings
1×2 x 8 ft 2 Door stop and astragal
Exterior primer and paint 2 gal Two coats (rough-sawn T1-11 soaks up more, so check the coverage on the can)
Exterior caulk 3 tubes Trim

Hardware and window

Item Qty
Framing nails 3 1/2 in (16d), hot-dip galvanized 15 lb
Siding nails 2 1/2 in (8d), hot-dip galvanized 10 lb
Sheathing nails 2 1/2 in (8d) for OSB 5 lb
Connector nails 1 1/2 in for the ties 2 lb
Construction adhesive, 10 oz tube 3
T-strap door hinges 6
Door handle and latch set 1
Barrel bolts for the fixed leaf 2
Exterior screws 1 1/4 in (door frame to T1-11) 1 lb
Exterior screws 2 1/2 in (hinge straps into framing) 1 box
Prefabricated window, 36 x 36 in rough opening 1
Flashing tape 4 in 1 roll
Wood shims 1 bundle

Cut list highlights

Most of the 8×12 cut list is square cuts: 36 wall studs at 7′ 6″, 10 floor joists at 7′ 9″ and three skids at a full 12′ 0″. The parts below have angles, overhangs or stacked sizes.

Part Lumber Cut length Qty
Rafter (board length, see below) 2×4 5′ 3 1/2″ 20
Fly rafter (rake) 2×4 5′ 3 1/2″ 4
Ridge board 2×6 12′ 8″ 1
Rafter tie (interior pairs, at the plates) 2×4 8′ 0″ 8
Collar tie 2×4 3′ 0 1/2″ 4
Lookout block (rake overhang) 2×4 2 1/2″ 16
Frieze block (over the eave walls, top beveled) 2×4 1′ 0 1/4″ to 1′ 1 3/4″ 18
Door header (2×8 doubled + 1/2 ply) 2×8 5′ 3″ 2
Door trimmer 2×4 6′ 4 1/2″ 2
Window header (2×6 doubled + 1/2 ply) 2×6 3′ 3″ 2
Window trimmer 2×4 6′ 1″ 2
Center gable stud (under the ridge) 2×4 1′ 8 3/4″ 2
Gable end studs 2×4 7 1/8″ and 1′ 3 1/8″ 4 each
Front and back cap plate 2×4 11′ 5″ 2
Side wall plate 2×4 7′ 5″ 4
Side wall cap plate 2×4 8′ 0″ 2

Rafters. The 5′ 3 1/2″ figure is the board each rafter needs, measured long point to long point on the top edge from the ridge plumb cut to the tail plumb cut, including the 8 in eave overhang. Each 12 ft board gives two of them, so 12 of the 18 boards at 12 ft cover the 20 rafters and 4 fly rafters.

Mark the plumb cuts with a speed square pivoted to 6 on the common scale (26.6 degrees). The birdsmouth seat is 2 1/2 in, which makes the notch about 1 1/8 in deep. The generator keeps the notch to a third of the rafter’s depth or less, so do not cut it any deeper. Cut one pattern rafter, test it at both ends of the shed, then trace the other 19.

The 4 fly rafters hang off the 2 1/2 in lookout blocks and the ridge extension, not a wall, so they get the ridge plumb cut but no birdsmouth.

Ridge. The ridge is 12′ 8″, not 12′ 0″, because it runs 4 in past each gable wall to carry the fly rafters that make the rake overhang. A 12 ft board comes up short, so the list buys one 2×6 x 14 ft and the ridge goes up in one piece with no splice.

Headers. The 60 in door opening gets a doubled 2×8 header with a 1/2 in plywood filler, on trimmers cut to 6′ 4 1/2″, with 6 1/4″ cripples above it. The window gets a doubled 2×6 header on 6′ 1″ trimmers, two 11 1/2″ cripples above, a 3′ 0″ sill and two 2′ 11 1/2″ cripples below.

Gable studs. Each 8 ft gable is short: one 1′ 8 3/4″ center stud plus four end studs, two at 7 1/8″ and two at 1′ 3 1/8″. At 6/12 each stud 16 in further from the corner is 8 in taller, which is why the two lengths are 8 in apart. Measure each one off your actual end rafter before cutting. One T1-11 sheet covers both gable triangles.

Plates. The front and back walls have 12′ 0″ bottom and top plates with 11′ 5″ cap plates, and the side walls have 7′ 5″ bottom and top plates with 8′ 0″ cap plates. The side caps lap over the front and back walls, which locks the corners together.

Gable vs lean-to: what changes

We ran the same 8×12 footprint as a lean-to (single-slope) roof at 3/12, with an 80 in low back wall, the door in the high front wall and the window in the back wall. The skids, joists and decking stay the same; the studs, rafters and siding change.

Item Gable (6/12) Lean-to (3/12)
Rafters 20 2×4 at 5′ 3 1/2″ + 4 fly 10 2×4 at 9′ 8 3/8″ + 2 fly
Ridge board 2×6 x 14 ft, cut to 12′ 8″ None
Wall studs 7′ 6″ on all four walls 8′ 2 5/8″ front, 6′ 3 1/2″ back, stepped on the sides
2×4 framing boards bought (plus 8 braces in both) 83 61
2×6 boards bought (not treated) 2 1
T1-11 sheets 13, all 4×8 12: five 4×9, seven 4×8
Roof OSB sheets 6 5
Shingle bundles 6 5
Felt 1 roll 1 roll, laid double below 4/12
Drip edge 6 pieces 5 pieces
Extra hardware 2 Z-flashing 4 twist straps at the wall corners
Floor 3 skids, 10 joists, 3 sheets 3 skids, 10 joists, 3 sheets

On an 8 ft deep shed the lean-to rafters stay 2×4: the generator checks an 89 in span against a 98 in limit for 2×4 at 30 psf. Each side wall has 7 studs stepping up 4 in at a time in the middle (about 3 in at the ends), from 6′ 5 3/8″ to 8′ 3 1/4″, under a 7′ 7 3/4″ sloped top plate. The front and side walls take 4×9 siding sheets, which some yards have to order.

At 3/12, read the minimum slope on the shingle wrapper and follow the maker’s low-slope instructions; the lean-to list lays its roll of felt double. For single-slope layouts, see the 8×16 lean-to shed plan, all lean-to shed plans and our gable vs lean-to vs hip roof comparison.

Where the waste goes

  • Wall studs: 90 in from a 96 in board leaves about 6 in each.
  • Rafters: two 5′ 3 1/2″ rafters from each 12 ft board leave about 17 in.
  • Floor joists: 7′ 9″ from an 8 ft board leaves 3 in for squaring the ends.
  • Rafter ties: the eight 8′ 0″ ties come from 10 ft boards, leaving about 2 ft each. Cut the 8 brace stakes from these.
  • Plates: the 11′ 5″ cap plates and 7′ 5″ side plates each leave about 7 in. The two 8′ 0″ side cap plates use a full 8 ft board with no trim room, so check that the factory ends are square before you set them.
  • Ridge and eave fascia: each 12′ 8″ run comes from a 14 ft board, so expect about 16 in of offcut per run.
  • Floor decking: 3 sheets cover exactly 96 sq ft with no spare, so a damaged sheet means a trip back to the yard.
  • No spares: the counts include nothing for rejects. Pick straight stock at the yard, and add a few 2×4 x 8 ft if you expect to cull warped or split boards.

The longest pieces are 16 ft: the two corner trim boards for the eave walls. The skids, rims, plates and rafter stock are 12 ft, and the ridge, trimmers and eave fascia are 14 ft.

Tools for an 8×12 build

  • Circular saw, speed square and framing square for 36 stud cuts and 24 rafters; cut the 2 1/2 in lookout blocks from a long clamped stick with a stop block, never as loose scraps
  • Framing hammer or framing nailer, and a drill/driver for the screws
  • 4 ft level, 25 ft tape for checking the floor diagonals match, and a string line for the 12 ft rims
  • A hand tamper or rented plate compactor for 2.1 cu yd of gravel, laid in thin layers, plus one or two helpers to raise the walls and set the ridge

Common mistakes

  • Mixing up 8×12 and 12×8. In this list the ridge runs along the 12 ft side and the door sits in a 12 ft wall. Turn the ridge the other way and the roof spans 12 ft instead of 8 ft: each rafter’s run grows from 48 in to 72 in, which changes the rafter check, the ridge length and the gable height.
  • Forgetting the door sheets. The generator measures the siding cut out of the doorway at 76 1/2 in tall, shorter than the 77 1/4 in door leaf, so each leaf needs its own new T1-11 sheet.
  • Skipping rafter ties. A ridge board is not a beam. The 8 rafter ties at the plates stop the 12 ft walls from spreading. The 4 collar ties, higher up on interior pairs, hold the rafter pairs together near the ridge; they do not replace the rafter ties.
  • Deep birdsmouths. A full 3 1/2 in seat would notch a 2×4 rafter past the generator’s one-third limit, so keep the seat at 2 1/2 in.
  • Too few skids. The generator keeps skids no more than 48 in apart. Three under an 8 ft floor land about 46 in apart; two would land past that limit.
  • Swapping materials without recounting. This list is for 3-tab shingles and T1-11. Architectural shingles, metal roofing or lap siding cover differently, so recount from the coverage printed on the bundle or the maker’s install guide.
  • Untreated wood near the ground. Skids, rims and joists are pressure treated; plain framing lumber there rots. Use ground-contact rated wood for the skids, and hot-dip galvanized nails and treated-lumber rated screws in treated wood. The USDA Wood Handbook covers why wet, untreated wood decays.

Tie-downs, setbacks and whether a 96 sq ft shed needs a permit vary by town, so check your local permit office before you order. Our shed permit checklist lists what to ask.

For how to read any list like this one, see our shed material list guide. For the base under the skids, see shed foundation options. For a rough budget, see how much it costs to build a shed; price this list at two yards before you order.

Get the full plan

The 8×12 gable shed plan is a 3DSHEDPLANS PDF with 40+ steps, 3D images and its own printable material list for its 60 in double door and one window. For the nearest sizes, see the 8×10 gable shed plan and the 8×14 gable shed plan, or compare the 8×10 shed material list and the 10×12 shed material list.

Want to see the format first? Download the free 8×12 gable shed plan preview PDF. Need more or less room? Compare all gable shed plans or browse every size on the shed plans page.

Frequently asked questions

What is on an 8×12 shed material list?

For an 8×12 gable shed with 94 1/2 in walls and a 6/12 roof, our generator lists 91 2x4s incl. braces, 12 treated 2x6s, 3 treated 4×4 skids, 3 sheets of 3/4 in plywood, 6 of OSB, 13 of T1-11, 1 of 1/2 in plywood and 6 shingle bundles, plus nails, trim and hardware.

Is there an 8×12 shed plan with a material list?

Yes. The 3DSHEDPLANS 8×12 gable shed plan PDF includes a printable material list with quantities, and a free 8×12 preview PDF shows the format first. This page lists the generator's shopping list and the key cut lengths.

How many 2x4s do I need for an 8×12 shed?

91 in all for an 8×12 gable shed with a 60 in double door and one window. That is 83 framing boards (54 at 8 ft, 8 at 10 ft, 18 at 12 ft, 3 at 14 ft) plus 8 boards at 12 ft for temporary wall braces.

How many sheets of plywood, OSB and siding does an 8×12 shed need?

3 sheets of 3/4 in tongue and groove plywood for the floor, 6 sheets of 7/16 in OSB for the roof, 13 sheets of 5/8 in T1-11 for the walls, gables and door leaves, and 1 sheet of 1/2 in plywood for the soffit and header fillers.

Shed building guides